This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!

Friday, November 20, 2015

Today I am posting what I believe is a little "undiscovered treasure"... a slide that I seem to have skipped for some reason, even though I scanned others in the same lot years ago.

I love this beautiful view of the riverfront area, with Aunt Jemima's Pancake House in the background. Even though there is nothing obviously amazing, the image is so pleasant and colorful in a way, looking like a place that I want to be. In the upper right we can see just a bit of the Swiss Family Treehouse, with a couple of guests starting up the stairs.

You know me, I enjoy my vintage people-watching!

More nosiness. That lady has let go of her stroller! We're all going to die!

Here's another one that I skipped, because it was so dark. The new scanner and software enabled me to salvage it, which (in my opinion) was worth the effort because the Storybook Land Canal Boat is the "Bold Lochinvar".

"Lochinvar" is a poem written in 1808 by Sir Walter Scott, and it tells the story of a brave Scottish lord who arrives at a wedding just as his beloved, the Fair Ellen, is about to marry an unworthy suitor (Ellen's father refused to let Lochinvar marry his daughter for some reason). He danced Fair Ellen over to the door, swept her onto his horse, and off they went. Men in the wedding party gave chase, but could not keep up with Bold Lochinvar.

I wonder if this tale was well known to every school boy and girl 100 years ago? My grandmother had books of the works of Sir Walter Scott, and I'll wager that many of the Imagineers remembered this thrilling verse from their younger days.

12 comments:

More wonderful images-! How is it possible none of the guests dare trample over the flower beds, as there is no fencing of any sort to prevent such mischief. Perhaps the beds are surrounded by the Colgate Invisible Shield, with Gardol®-??

I don't think that lady has deliberately let go of her stroller. It's actually jet-propelled.

The Bold Lochinvar is lookin' awfully nice - especially with the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship in the background just beckoning us onward.

This Aunt Jemima Kitchen post is timely. A long standing tradition of mine at Disneyland has ended. For nearly forty years I ate Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast at the River Belle Terrace whenever I visited Disneyland. Now the River Belle Terrace is being converted into a full service restaurant and breakfast has been removed from the menu. From now on, if someone wants Mickey Mouse pancakes they'll have to go to Rancho del Zocalo to have them. It just won't be the same.

Anyway, this is a wonderful image. I used to have my breakfast out there on the terrace and watch the watercraft flow by on the Rivers of America. I'm surprised no one mentioned the Dominguez palm. Thanks, Major.

Nanook, actually I do think guests trampled on some of the flowerbeds back in those days. I remember reading a story of Walt putting markers on the areas where guests continually trampled over the landscaping and then he would order walkways to be put in those areas or have it paved over because he thought it would assist the natural flow of traffic.

Nanook, you bring up a good question… were guests of the past more respectful of things like unfenced flower beds? Why is it that they need to “idiot-proof” everything in the park nowadays? I kind of remember Colgate’s “invisible shield”, but let’s face it, “Gardol” is a terrible name!!

Patrick Devlin, did you actually read/study that poem in school? My favorite part is when Bold Lochinvar stops by the 7-11 for a Berry Blast Slurpee and some Slim Jims.

TokyoMagic!, if you saw that lady up close, you would certainly notice the prominent, throbbing veins on her forehead. A dead giveaway that she is using telekinesis! You are the only person in the world who has ever thought of Lloyd Bochner (whoever that is).

K. Martinez, what the heck! The Mickey Mouse pancakes are classics. I would not expect to find them at Rancho del Zocalo. Oh well, better there than nowhere at all. In a way I like the idea of making the River Belle Terrace a full service restaurant, but it is weird that they are removing breakfast from the menu. Where is the logic in that? Also, I think I wrote this post before all of the discussion about the Dominguez palm. I had heard that story about Walt making a note of where people wanted to walk, if it’s true it’s a great story.

Major, I think River Belle Terrace is becoming the barbecue replacement for Big Thunder Ranch BBQ since it will be lost to Star Wars Land. It wasn't just about the Mickey Mouse pancakes which were okay, but having them while sitting on the terrace watching the Mark Twain go by in the morning hours. A ritual and tradition with no muss or fuss over reservations. I don't see myself going to Rancho del Zocalo fore the pancakes or making reservations for barbecue when there are better restaurants outside of Disneyland with less fuss. But hey, maybe because of the Hungry Bear's great views of the River Disney will make that a full service restaurant too. As I've mentioned before, the Disneyland I love died long ago. Just another nail driving it home. End of rant.

Like many others, the terrace here is/was a favorite spot for breakfast. I think the full service idea here makes sense. This is one of the very best spots in the Park, to dine beside the River is just splendid. I wonder if breakfast will be available at the Creole Cafe (or whatever it's called now)?

My guess is that reservations will be hard to get during Fantasmic.

My favorite line from the poem, describing Lochinvar's rival "...a laggard in love, and a dastard in war". They don't write stories like those anymore and if they did, who would read them. I'm sure it's no longer in schools. When I learned it, it was from a an old book my Dad had from his boyhood. Now, only bits remain.

Lloyd Bochner was a character actor, whose most-famous role was probably in a 1962 Twilight Zone episode, entitled: "To Serve Man". He later spoofed that role, in a parody of himself in Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear. He also played Cecil Colby on Dynasty.

And, he was the father to Paul Bochner (a school classmate of mine) and perhaps more famously, Hart Bochner, who appeared in Islands In the Stream, Breaking Away, Terror Train, etc., and was considered a 1980's "teen heart throb". That's the Lloyd Bochner story.

I'm just wondering how much of that seating area they will take over for the table service? All of it? After all, many of the guests that get food at the counter service restaurant next to the Golden Horseshoe (Stage Door Cafe?) take their food over to those tables.

Ken, I wonder what the view will be like from Hungry Bear Restaurant after the massive destruction of the river, the island, the berm and the train route for Star Wars Land. :-( Oh, and "They're all gonna laugh at you!" is actually my favorite line from "Carrie". I love the way it's repeated over and over and also how distorted the voice gets as it repeats.

Nanook, thank you for answering the Lloyd Bochner question. I know he was in many things over the years, but I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head without looking it up. How could I have forgotten about "To Serve Man"? (It's....IT'S A COOKBOOK!!!) And Major, I'm sure you are right about me being the only one that thought of Lloyd Bochner at the mention of Bold Lochinvar.

TokyoMagic! I'm not sure about the seating area, but I'd imagine they might reconfigure the area so they can book more reservations for $$$ dining. It'd be sad if they gutted the original interior, but I suspect they will want to modernize it a bit. I think the Hungry Bear Restaurant will still be on the shores of the Rivers of America but the view altered a bit. I do believe in change and Star Wars Land is coming which I do think is needed and I'm a little excited about it. Breakfast at the River Belle was a long standing tradition with me and one of the last ones so it just hit me a little hard. We move on.

As for Carrie, that's my all time favorite Stephen King movie.

They're all gonna laugh at you!We're all sorry CassieThey're all gonna laugh at you!Trust me Carrie! You can trust me.